Spring-scale.



No. 776,725. PATENTED DEC. 6, 1904. R. F. GHATILLON.

SPRING SCALE.

N0 MODEL.

WKTNESSES: v-

INVENTOR W W I @l/ V BY iwml UNITED STATES Patented December 6, 1904.

RALPH-F. GHATILLON, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

. SPRING-SCALE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,725, dated December6, 1904.

Application filed February 13, 1904. Serial No. 193,416. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, RALPH F. GHATILLON, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful 1mprovements in Spring-Scales, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to spring-scales; and it has for its principalobject to prevent the vibration of that portion of the mechanism whichindicates the weight of any article being weighed, no matter how saidarticle is supported by the receiver of the same, and to do this withoutimpairing the accuracy of the scale-measurements.

When certain articles, such as pieces of meat, are dropped upon thereceiving-pan of a spring-scale, the runner of the scale will drop andthen vibrate up and down for some time unless some additional means areused to prevent such vibration. If the indicatingmarks be on the runnerby reason of such vibration, it will be impossible to tell immediatelythe exact weight of the article being weighed, as the runner will notimmediately come to rest. Also if the indicator for the scale be a handto be rotated by means of a pinion secured to said hand and a rackengaging with the pinion and attached to the runner there will also be avibration of the hand back and forth on the dial of the scale unlesssome additional means be used to prevent such vibration.

My invention consists generally of means to prevent the vibration orfluctuating movements of the indicating part of the scale during theprocess of weighing articles by the scale without impairing its weighingefficiency or accuracy; and my invention also consists in the apparatus,features, and details of the same,- as hereinafter shown and described.

Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of my invention as applied to anordinary springscale with the dial partly broken away and with thedamping device or upper part of the features illustrating my inventionshown partly in vertical section. Figs. 2 and 3 are details, greatlyenlarged in vertical section, of the upper part of the damping device asshown in Fig. 1.

8 is the hook to which the pan of the scaleis to be hung and which hookhas free play in two directions on the lower end of the runner 6.

9 is a cylinder secured to'the upper end of easing 1 and having itswalls and axis on lines parallel with the normal sliding movement of therunner 6. The lower end of the cylinder 9, or that end nearest therunner 6, is open, and a piston 10 is inclosed in said cylinder and isprovided at its bottom with an extension 11, having a slot 12 extendingin a direction transversely to the cylinder. A rack or bar 13 is looselyconnected at its lower end with the runner 6 and preferably, as shown inFig. 1, by means of a transverse pivot 14. The upper end of the rack orbar 13 is provided with a transversely-extending pin 15, which passesloosely through the slot 12, so as to permit the upper end of the bar 13to move laterally in relation to the piston 10.

16 is the pinion, which is secured to the stud in the casing 1 and withwhich the rack or bar 13 engages. A spring 17 is secured to thecross-bar 3 and bears upon the shoulder at the lower end of bar 13 andkeeps said bar 13 in a vertical position and in light and yieldingengagement with the pinion 16.

18 is a linger extending over the front of bar 13, and 19 is a pinextending from said finger'backward and outside of the bar 13, saidfinger and pin serving as guides for the side of the bar 13 opposite thepinion 16.

The upper end of the cylinder 9 is closed with the exception of thevent-hole 20, and the size of the vent is regulated by means of thescrew 21, having a tapering longitudinal slot 22. The indicating-hand,which is secured to the pinion 16 and which indicates the weight uponthe dial 2, is shown by the dotted lines 23 in Fig. 1. g

The runner 6 may be provided with indieating-marks, as shown by dottedlines 24, which may be on the edge of said runner opposite to the dial2, so that the weight of an article will be indicated by a markregistering with the lower edge of the casing 1. These indicating-markscan be used upon the same scale that has the dial 2, and theindicating-hand 23 or said dial and indicatinghand may be dispensed withand the indicating-marks 24: used instead.

25 is a ring loosely connected with the top of the casing 1, by whichthe scale may be suspended, and this ring 25 should be directly in linewith the runner when it is in its normal position and with its normalmovement.

The operation of my improved scale is as follows: If the scale be heldin its proper position or suspended by the ring 25, the runner 6 will bevertical. If an article be dropped upon the receiver for the same,either on the hook 8 or upon the scale-pan suspended by said hook, therunner will be pulled down against the action of the springs 1, and thebar 13 will also be pulled down, and said bar will pull down the piston10in cylinder 9, the connection between said piston and bar caused bythe pin 15 and slot 12 permitting a lateral play of the upper part ofthe bar 13 with relation to the piston, so that the movement of the bar13 either up or down in the piston Will be on aline or lines parallelwith the axis of' the cylinder, so that the piston will not bind againstthe walls of the cylinder and the movement of the piston 10 will befree. It will be seen that the walls of the piston serve as a parallelguide for the piston or block 10, which moves in said guide. The freemovement of the block or piston, and consequently the free movement andguiding of the upper part of the bar 13, will prevent either the runner6 or the hand 23 from fluctuating or vibrating back and forth after therunner has been pulled down by the weight of the article being weighed.It very often happens that an article, such as a piece of meat, is putor dropped upon the edge of the receiving-pan. This will cause therunner 6 to be drawn somewhat out of vertical position, and if the upperend of the bar 13 did not have a free lateral movement the piston 10would bind against the walls of the cylinder in its movement, the scalewould not be likely to register correctly, and vibration would be mostlikely to occur, both by the runner 6 and the hand 23, the vibration ofthe hand occuring by reason of the rack 13 binding or engaging tightlywith the pinion 16 instead of loosely engaging with it, as it should do.The light engagement of the rack 13 with the pinion 16 is made by thespring 17, and this engagement 1s yielding owing to the yielding natureof the spring and the free lateral movement of the upper part of therack 13, said spring being the principal means of keeping the rack inengagement with the pinion. In order to wholly and entirely prevent thevibrations and fluctuations of the indicator of the scale, the cylinder9 is closed at its upper end, except for the vent, which constructionprovides an air-cushion for the upper movement of the piston 10.

Attempts have heretofore been made to prevent vibrations or oscillationsof the hanger and indicating hand of spring scales by damping; but noprevious construction has ever directly connected the sliding block orpiston with the means for operating the indicating-hand.Illhisconstruction in itself will either entirely prevent or reduce to aminimum the vibrations of the hanger or the indicating-hand, or both,without interfering in any way with the accuracy of the indications.

By my invention all vibration and lluctuation of the indicating deviceof the scale are thoroughly and entirely prevented, and the inaccuracyin indications heretofore always present whenever damping has beenattempted is avoided.

I do not limit myself to the precise construction shown and described.as many changes other than those suggested may be made without departingfrom the principles of my invention or sacrificing its chief advantages.

IVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a spring-scale, the combination with the runner, a bar looselyconnected with said runner, a guideway arranged between said runner andthe top of the scale and on lines parallel with the line of normalmovement of the runner, a block constructed and arranged to slide insaid guideway, and means for connecting said block and bar to permitlateral movement of the bar, at said connection.

2. In a spring-scale, the con'ibination with the runner, a bar looselyconnected with said runner, a cylinder arranged between the runner andthe top of the scale, and having its axis parallel with the line ofnormal movement of the runner, a piston inclosed in said cylinder, andmeans for connecting said piston and bar to permit lateral movement ofthe bar, at said connection.

3. In a spring-scale, the combination with the runner, a bar looselyconnected with said runner, acylinder arranged between the runner andthe top of the scale, and having its axis parallel with the line ofnormal move ment of the runner, and having its end nearest the runneropen, a piston inclosed in said cylinder, and means for connecting saidpiston and bar to permit lateral movement of the bar, at saidconnection.

4. In a spring-scale, the combination with the runner, a bar looselyconnected with said runner, a cylinder arranged between the runner andthe top of the scale, and having its axis parallel with the line ofnormal movement of the runner, and having its end nearest the runneropen, and aventin its other end, a piston inclosed in said cylinder, andmeans for connecting said piston and bar to permit 7 lateral movement ofthe bar at said connection.

5. In a spring-scale the combination with the runner, a bar looselyconnected with said runner, a cylinder arranged between the runner andthe top of the scale, and having its axis parallel with the line ofnormal movement of the runner, and having its end nearest the runneropen, and a vent in its other end, and means for regulating the size ofthe vent-opening, a piston inclosed in said cylinder, and means forconnecting said piston and bar to permit lateral movement of the bar, atsaid connection.

6. In a spring-scale, the combination with the pinion for operating theindicator, the rack for engaging with said pinion, a guideway arrangedon parallel lines between said pinion and the top of the scale, a blockconstructed and arranged to slide in said guideway, means for connectingsaid block and rack to permit movement of the rack toward and away fromthe pinion, and means for keeping the rack lightly in engagement withthe pinion.

7. In a spring-scale, the combination with the pinion for operating theindicator, the rack for engaging with said pinion, a guideway arrangedon parallel lines between said pinion and the top of the scale, a blockconstructed and arranged to slide in said guideway, means for connectingsaid block and rack to permit movement of the rack toward and away fromthe pinion, and means for keeping the rack yieldingly in engagement withthe pinion.

8. In a spring-scale, the combination with the pinion for operating theindicator, a runner, a rack for engaging with said pinion and looselyconnected with said runner, a guideway arranged on parallel linesbetween said pinion and the top of the scale, a block constructed andarranged to slide in said guideway, means for connecting said block andrack to permit movement of the rack toward and away from the pinion, andmeans for keeping the rack lightly in engagement with the pinion.

9. In a spring-scale, the combination with the pinion for operating theindicator, a runner, a rack for engaging with said pinion and looselyconnected with said runner, a guideway arranged on parallel linesbetween said pinion and the top of the scale, a block constructed andarranged to slide in said guideway, means for connecting said block andrack to permit movement of the rack toward and away from the pinion, andmeans for keeping the rack yieldingly in engagement with the pinion.

10. In aspring-scale, the combination with the pinion for operating theindicator, the rack for engaging with said pinion, a cylinder arrangedbetween the pinion and the top of the scale and with its axis parallelwith the line of normal movement of the rack, a piston inclosed in saidcylinder, means for connecting said piston and rack to permit movementof the rack toward and away from the'pinion, and means for keeping therack lightly in engagement with the pinion.

11. In a spring-scale, the combination with the pinion for operating theindicator, the rack for engaging with said pinion, a cylinder arrangedbetween the pinion and the top of the scale and with its axis parallelwith the line of normal movement of the rack and having its end nearestthe pinion open, a piston inclosed in said cylinder; means forconnecting said piston and rack to permit movement of the rack towardand away from the pinion, and means for keeping the rack lightly inengagement with the pinion.

12. In a spring-scale, the combination with the pinion for operating theindicator, the rack for engaging with said pinion, a cylinder arrangedbetween the pinion and the top of the scale and with its axis parallelwith the line of normal movement of the rack and having its end nearestthe pinion open, and a venthole at its other end, a piston inclosed insaid cylinder, means for connecting said piston and rack to permitmovement of the rack toward and away from the pinion, and means forkeeping the rack lightly in engagement with the pinion.

13. In a spring-scale, the combination with the pinion for operating theindicator, the rack for engaging with said pinion, a cylinder ar rangedbetween the pinion and the top of the scale and with its axis parallelwith the line of normal movement of the rack and having its end nearestthe pinion open, and a venthole at its other end, and means forregulating the size of the vent-opening, a piston inclosed in saidcylinder, means for connecting said piston and rack to permit movementof the rack toward and away from the pinion, and means for keeping therack lightly in engagement with the pinion.

14. In a spring-scale, the combination with the indicator, the bar foroperating the same, the runner connected with said bar, a guidewayarranged on parallel lines with the line of normal movement of therunner, a block constructed and arranged to slide in said guideway, andsaid bar loosely connected directly to said block.

15. In a spring-scale, the combination with the indicator-pinion, therack for operating the same, the runner connected with said rack, aguideway arranged on parallel lines with the line of normal movement ofthe runner, a block constructed and arranged to slide in said guideway,and said rack loosely connected directly to said block.

16. In a spring-scale, the combinati ith In testimony whereofl havesigned my name the indicatonpinion. the rack for operating to thisspecification in the presence of two sub- 10 the same, the runnerconnected With said rack, a cylinder having its axis parallel With theline of normal movement of the runner, a piston inclosed in saidcylinder, and means for directly connecting said rack loosely with thepiston.

scribing Witnesses.

RALPH F. CHATILLON.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN O. GEMPLER, EDWIN SEGER.

